SB 1786: License to Work Act

UPDATE 1/17/20: SB 1786 was signed into law by Governor Pritzker. Read more here.

Over 50 thousand Illinois licenses are suspended each year because drivers can’t pay tickets, fines, or fees; or for other reasons unrelated to bad driving. If you can’t work, you can’t pay. If you can’t pay, you can’t work. The debt cycle continues, hurting individuals, families, businesses, communities, and taxpayers. The impact is also disproportionate. Black and Latino drivers are more likely than white drivers to be stopped by the police, to be fined or arrested for traffic offenses, and to suffer undue fines or incarceration.

The License to Work Act would:

• Eliminates driver’s license suspension as a penalty for most non-driving violations, including:

1. Failing to pay parking, compliance, or tollway tickets, fines, or fees
2. Being judged to be a “truant minor”
3. Criminal trespass to a vehicle, and a handful of other non-driving violations

• Allows an individual whose license was suspended under any of these provisions to have their license reinstated.

The License to Work Act would keep Illinoisans on the road so that they can continue to work and support their families.

Find out more at License2work.org